Back to "normal"

In the Netherlands, the corona rules have been dropped and all sorts of activities can go back to “normal”. In the congregation in Maastricht we have decided as  congregation to set up our seating differently. 

The last two years we have been seated in a circle around the walls of our meeting room. This gave us the ability to keep some distance from one another and still meet together. In addition to the seating change, we changed how we do the Lord’s Supper and what our worship time together looks like. We even instituted some traditions around how we interact after our worship time. 

Now we as a congregation have decided to “return” to the old way the meeting hall was set up. But almost half of our members actually came to be part of this family during the corona years. This means that - to them - the corona set up was “normal”. And it brings up the question: what is essential and what is normal? 

For the Lord's Supper during corona, each member (or family member) approached the central table where the bread and cup were, took bred and cup and returned to sit and wait until all members had done the same. Then we prayed for the bread and partook together after which we prayed for the cup and partook together. 

Now the table will no longer be central and we will no longer be seated in a a circle facing one another. Now the table will be in the front and we will be seated in a semi-circle. The brother leading the supper will pass the plate and the cup. For many this is a well understood and familiar thing. For many in our congregation, this is new. 

It has always intrigued me to think about and study the bits of our communal worship time that are traditional. What is essential? And how can we do that? During corona years we dropped the sermon and increased the time for the word during the Lord’s Supper. And yet, Jesus remains central to it all. During corona we made a conscious decision to make this time central to our time together. It remains so.

Now things are changing again and we can look at and wonder how to do things together. We are thankful for the changes that have come. We are most thankful that we are a family which can work through these things together with the grace of God. In other parts of the world - Ukraine - other changes are having to be made. We pray for the church there that they, too, can continue to rely on the strength and peace of the Father as they continue to live out and show the love and grace of God, even during very difficult times.